Honouring Palestinian Terrorism / Canadian Islamists

"[It is “wholly inappropriate that city property would be used, and resources sanctioned, for a vigil to celebrate the mastermind behind the Oct. 7 attacks [in Israel], where more than 1,200 women, children and men were brutally murdered and 254 people were kidnapped, of whom many are still held hostage."

"We strongly urge that you use every tool available to ensure this event does not proceed on city property."

"Permitting this vigil to occur as planned, honouring a genocidal maniac with the blood of thousands of Israelis and Palestinians alike on his hands, would be an affront to the values of freedom, peace and justice that Mississaugans and all Ontarians hold dear."

Michelle Stock, Ontario vice-president, Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs

 

"[Those organizing this event] should be ashamed of their attempt to glorify Sinwar as a martyr and to stoop so low as to disturb the sanctity of the memory of Canada’s war dead by conflating Remembrance Day with the memorializing of heinous terrorists."

"Yahya Sinwar was an evil man and diabolical terrorist."

Richard Robertson, director of research and advocacy, B’nai Brith Canada

 

"[Hamas is a] radical Islamist-nationalist terrorist organization that emerged from the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood … [and] uses political and violent means to pursue its goal of establishing an Islamic Palestinian state in Israel."

"[Hamas has been responsible for] terrorist attacks against both civilian and military targets … [including] operations aimed at Israelis."

Canadian government website

 

"There will be a day for Sinwar called Sinwar day and this is our [right under the] Charter of Rights and Freedoms in Canada to express our gratitude and his sacrifices."

"#CD4HR has organized a vigil for the great hero #yahya_sinwar & Axis of resistance martyrs that sacrificed their honourable lives to support the Palestinians & their struggle for liberation."

Firas Al Najim, Canadian Defenders 4 Human Rights (CD4HR)

A poster advertising a Mississauga, Ont., vigil in honour of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. Photo by @cd4_hr /X

Hamas and its operatives are on a proscribed list of terrorists held by the Government of Canada, outlawing them in Canada. No matter, illegal under Canadian law as it might be, groups of Islamists residing in Canada feel entitled to praise Hamas and the mass murdering terrorists associated with the group and publicize their intention in the complete confidence that there will be no moves to disallow this travesty. They do so with the immunity granted them by virtue of the fact that no government at any level in Canada; federal, provincial or municipal has yet to obey the letter of the law.

 

Samidoun, a principal fomenter of organizing protests against Israel's existence, speaking vociferously for Palestinian terrorism, and the release of Palestinian criminals held in Israeli prisons convicted of terrorist acts, has more recently been placed on Canada's terrorist list. Yet it is headquartered in Vancouver, from where it directs its many international chapters. Having been proscribed by Canadian law, it continues to organize and to issue threats against Israel and Canadian Jews with no intervention from the government of Canada under Justin Trudeau's Liberals. 

 

Initially, when news of the October 7, 2023 monstrous atrocities carried out by Palestinian terrorist groups led by Hamas reached the attention of Islamist groups in Canada, celebrations broke out and joy expressed at Israel's loss of 1,200 civilian lives, and the hostage-taking of another 250 Israeli infants, elderly, ill people, girls, women and men, along with some foreign farm workers and IDF soldiers. Marching in the streets of Canada's cities, mobs of Palestinian-supporting, Hamas-admiring Islamists and their Canadian counterparts shouted 'intifada!' and 'from the river to the sea', characterizing those expressions as harmless.

 

Weekly and almost daily similar marches excoriating and slandering Israel as a genocidal entity that must be destroyed elicited no response from the federal government. As tacit non-interference in these rabid displays of anti-Israel, antisemitic expressions carried on, the protests grew louder, more explicit and finally made no effort to disguise their extremism and intent at demonizing and continual harassment of Jewish citizens of Canada. From shooting at Jewish parochial schools, firebombing synagogues, and defacing Jewish-owned businesses, no action has been taken, above verbal condemnation.

 

Now the perpetrators of threats and aggravated harassment appear fully masked and wearing terrorist gear, their rhetoric of terror more explicit as is their celebration of jihadist violence. Careful to disguise themselves lest there be repercussions in lost employment or arrests their voices grow more shrill. Wearing green Hamas headbands, carrying Hezbollah flags representing another offence in recognition of another terrorist group listed in Canada, their message is loud and clear; encompassing Canada itself now in its 'colonialist' messages of imperialism and white supremacy.

 

Although their calls for action/violence grow stronger and more sustained, there are no repercussions, flouting the Canadian hate laws against inciting hatred against an identifiable group, threatening violence and campaigning to destroy the respect, equality and freedom of religion, and expression in Canada's value system. Mississauga Celebration Square is earmarked to host a vigil for the late leader of Hamas, the architect of the October 7 atrocities in Israel. Neither the municipality or the federal government is set to intervene.

 

Palestinian militants move towards the border fence with Israel from Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on October 7.

Said Khatib/AFP/Getty Images